Ontario trustee has ignored requests to repay share of $145K Italy trip, government says
The government says an Ontario school board trustee has not acknowledged requests to repay more than $11,000 in expenses from a controversial trip to Italy, despite a threat from the Minister of Education to “fire” him if he does not settle up.
Last July, Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board trustee Mark Watson was one of four elected education officials who went on a trip to Italy to purchase artwork.
The total cost of the trip was roughly $45,000, with a further $100,000 spent on artwork. The overseas mission sparked widespread outrage and led to an apology from the board.
The government ordered an official investigation into the trip.
It revealed several expenses, including a visit by the four trustees to an Italian Michelin star restaurant where they ordered four courses priced at €126.00 each, along with €216 on wine. Managing the fallout of the trip cost another $63,000 in legal fees.
In December, after the public furor, the four trustees agreed to repay around $12,000 each. Each signed up for payment plans of roughly $130 to $250, stretching their final repayment deadlines to between 2026 and 2028.
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After he was appointed minister of education in March, however, Calandra said he wouldn’t accept the long-term repayments. He ordered the trustees to repay the full amount by May 23, 2025.
The minister’s office confirmed to Global News on Monday afternoon three of the four trustees met that deadline. They said that Watson, however, has not completed his repayment or responded to any attempts from the government to contact him.
Speaking at the end of June, Calandra said he had outlined a clear threat to Watson if the money was not repaid in full.
“We are still waiting on one trustee who has made the decision he is not going to be repaying the cost of his trip,” the education minister said on June 27.
“As I said last time to this trustee, you have an opportunity to pay back, but if he has not paid back, I will be bringing forward legislation, and I will vacate that seat. And I will fire that trustee. I will not allow parents and students to be shortchanged.”
The ministry’s report shows, as of March 6, Watson had repaid $1,216.71 of $12,370. It is not clear if he has made any payments since that date.
Watson did not respond to questions from Global News sent through his contact form on the school board’s website and to his campaign email address.
Calandra said he thought Watson should be removed from his post — to which he was elected in 2022.
“Teachers going to Dollarama to buy (supplies) while this guy refuses to pay back his $11,000. And a former educator at that!” Calandra said.
“I think he deserves to be fired if he doesn’t do the right thing.”
The Ontario legislature is not set to resume until Oct. 20, 2025, meaning Calandra will not be able to table legislation to potentially remove Watson before then.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
The discovery of gun parts in the mail by the Canada Border Services Agency last year eventually led officers to raid a London home in May, where they seized homemade guns and drugs and arrested two men.
The CBSA says in October 2024, officers at a mail and cargo facility in Mississauga, Ont., discovered a silencer being imported from China. At around the same time, they also seized a 50-round drum magazine coming from the U.S.
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The agency says both packages were addressed to the same location, which triggered an investigation into gun parts being imported into Canada.
Six months later, on May 29, the CBSA says officers raided a home in London where officers seized homemade guns, gun parts, a 3D printer, cocaine, carfentanil, oxycodone and boric acid.
Two men from London, aged 33 and 57, are facing a lengthy list of drug and weapon charges following the arrests.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
A coalition of Ontario First Nations is taking legal action to try and throw out provincial and federal legislation designed to fast-track major projects, saying the two laws threaten their rights and “ways of life.”
Nine First Nation groups announced in a statement on Tuesday that they are bringing urgent litigation to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to try and kill Ontario’s Bill 5 and the federal government’s Bill C-5.
The Ford government passed Bill 5 in June, which allows it to create special economic zones where municipal and provincial laws can be suspended. The opposition has referred to the areas as “no-law zones.”
Similarly, the federal Bill C-5 allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big projects deemed to be in the national interest, such as mines, ports and pipelines, by sidestepping existing laws.
Kate Kempton, senior legal counsel for the group, confirmed to Global News that the litigation was filed Monday evening. It looks to have Bill 5 struck down in its entirety, and the parts of Bill C-5 that allow for major project designation also to be killed.
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Alderville First Nation Chief Taynar Simpson said in a statement that the laws cut out local communities from key consultations.
“These laws authorize the Crown governments to approve on a fast track major projects like Ring of Fire mining and pipelines, by short circuiting the need to get critical information about human and environmental safety and impacts,” he said.
“Our case is not a fight against development, it is a fight against dangerous development pushed ahead by factless, thoughtless and reckless decision making from government Ministers behind closed doors with little accountability.”
Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin pointed out the dangers of using the legislation in the remote, mineral-rich Ring of Fire, in particular.
“In the Ring of Fire area, this could be disastrous,” she said. “That region is peatlands, which is a globally critical carbon sink that must stay intact if it is to counter climate change. If parts of it are destroyed through mining and infrastructure, this could unravel the whole thing.”
The Ford government has confirmed it plans to designate the Ring of Fire as a special economic zone. In June, Premier Doug Ford said he wanted to do that as “quickly as possible.”
He also suggested he would make the James Bay deep-sea port, nuclear power projects, a tunnel under Highway 401 and parts of the GO network special economic zones.
Global News contacted the federal and provincial governments for comment.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
The Beer Store has announced it is closing another 10 stores across Ontario by September, after already announcing the closure of dozens of other stores so far this year.
The most recent list of stores includes two locations in Toronto, one in Ottawa, one in Hamilton, one in Burlington, among other locations.
Last year, the Ford government followed through on a long-term promise to allow convenience stores, grocers and big box retailers to sell a range of alcoholic drinks, including beer.
The plan negotiated a break with The Beer Store, which had previously had an exclusive alcohol retail agreement with the province. It earmarked $225 million for the chain, including measures to reduce store closures.
Under the agreement with the government, at least 300 Beer Store locations must remain open until the end of 2025. After that, there will be no restrictions on shutdowns.
Here is a list of the 10 stores set to close by Sept. 14, 2025:
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- 2020 Appleby Line, Burlington, ON L7L 6M6
- 3322 5 Hwy. #17, Deep River, ON K0J 1P0
- 229 Dundurn St. S, Hamilton, ON L8P 4K8
- 12334 Hwy. #41, PO Box 17, Northbrook, ON K0H 2G0
- 1910 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, ON K1G 1A4
- Erie St. S, #21 Hwy, Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0
- 4479 Kingston Rd, Scarborough, ON M1E 2N7
- Lookout 41 Front St, Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1A3
- 636 Greenwood Ave., Toronto, ON M4J 4B2
- 4681 Hwy # 7, Unionville, ON L3R 1M6
“The retail market for beer is changing in Ontario and for The Beer Store that means making the difficult decision to close some retail locations,” said Ozzie Ahmed, VP of Retail. “This is not an easy decision and not one we make lightly.”
The Beer Store had already previously announced four stores would close by June 15, another 11 stores by July 6, then nine more stores by July 20, an additional 10 stores by August 10, and 10 more stores by August 24, as well as the 10 stores just announced by September 14. The latest closures will take the number of shuttered Beer Stores past 80.
It also noted they encourage customers to continue returning empties. More than 1.6 billion alcohol containers were processed at its locations annually.
All grocery stores that sell alcohol will be required to accept the return of empties and refund customer deposits starting on Jan. 1, 2026 as part of provincial regulations, the Beer Store said.
— With files from Global News’ Isaac Callan
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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